Well tool running and retrieving device



May 5, 1959 T. P. FROST WELL Toor. RUNNING AND RETRIEVING DEVICE I Filed Deo. 21, 195e 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS May 5, 1959 T. P. FROST 2,885,011

WELL. Tool. RUNNING AND RETRIEVING DEVICE:

Filed Dec. 21, 195e 2 sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.7

United States Patent() WELL TOOL RUNNING AND RETRIEVING DEVICE Thomas P. Frost, Gainesville, Tex.

, Application December 21, 1956, Serial No. 629,821

Claims. (Cl. 166-219) This invention relates to a novel tool for landing and pulling a pump and packer assembly.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending applications, Serial No. 490,775, filed February 28, 1955, and now abandoned, Serial No. 517,559, filed June 23, 1955, and Serial No. 522,100, filed July 14, 1955.

An object of the present invention is to provide ap` paratus for running and pulling a pump and packer assembly which includes a tool having dogs latchable and releasable with respect to the assembly upon actuation of the string for suspending the tool, thereby eliminating the need for go-devils and the like for operating the dogs.

Another object is to provide a tool olf the character described in the foregoing object which may be run on either a sucker rod or a wireline. l

Still another object is to provide, in a pump and packer assembly of the general character above-described, a collar which, in addition to preventing sand within the casing from fouling the collar, serves as part of the apparatus for running and pulling the assembly and provides a guide for both centering the working barrel of the assembly within the casing and guiding the traveling Valve and plunger as they are run into the barrel.

Other objects, advantages and features of this invention will be apparent to one skilled in the art upon a consideration of the written specification, the attached claims and the annexed drawings.

vIn the drawings, wherein like reference characters are used throughout to designate like parts:

Fig. l is a vertical sectional View of the lower end of a cased well in which an illustrative embodiment of the pump and packer assembly of the present invention is Ilanded in position to pump fluid from a productive zone of the well;

Figs. 1A and 1B are blown-up sectional views of a standing valve and a traveling valve and plunger within the working barrel of the assembly;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the assembly of Fig. l suspended from a running and pulling tool constructed in accordance with the present invention and operable by means of a wire line running string;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the running` pulling tool in the releasing position of Fig. 4, but

Fig. 7 isa sectional view of the running.. and Apulling f tool suspended by a wire line and with the dogs thereof latched beneath the collar of the pump and packerassembly, as also shown in Figs. 2 and 3; and

Fig. 8 is a View similar to Fig. 7, but with the tool moved to a position to release the dogs from latching position, as also shown in Fig. 4.

Referring now to the above-described drawings, there is shown in each of Figs. vv1 and 2 the lower end of a well having aA casing 10 disposed therein for communication with a production zone 11. As well known in the art, the casing may extend to ground level, at which location there is conventionally provided suitable wellhead apparatus for directing the well iluid conducted upwardly through the casing to a suitable place of dis-- posal. It is also conventional to provide at the wellhead suitable apparatus for raising or lowering a running an pulling string within the well. v

Disposed within the well is a pump and packer assembly 12 including tubular means 13 having a working barrel 14 therein, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. A resilient packer 15 and an expander 16 therefor are received about the tubular means for longitudinal movement relatively to one another for expanding the packer into sealing engagement with the casing upon landing of one of the packer and expander within the Well. More particularly, the packer 15 is expandable into sealing enon a flange 19 of the coupling so that it is xed longi tudinally with respect to the tubular means 13, While the expander is longitudinally slidable over the conductor 17 between an uppermost position for expanding the packer, as sho-wn in Figs. 1 and 2, and a lowermost position in which it is supported Ifrom an enlarged part 20.

on the lower end of conductor 17 in such a position as to permit collapse of the packer from expanded position.

Secured to the lower end of the expander 16 by a coupling 21 having an out-turned flange 22 embedded in the expander is a downwardly extending landing nipple 23 which surrounds the lower end of the ow conductor 17 and has ilow ports 24 above its lower pointed end 24a. As the assembly 12 is run into the well, the lower end of nipple 23 is embedded in the bottom of the well' so as to land the assembly with the packer at a desired y level for packing off above production zone 11, such that well fluid from the zone may ilow into the ports 24 and upwardly through the tubing means 13. Obviously, other means may be provided for landing the expander 16 and permitting the flow of well iluid into the tubular means of the assembly.

During running of the assembly, the expander 16 will be supported from the enlarged part 20 of the flow conductor 17, so that the packer 15 is collapsed. However, as the lower end of the nipple 23 reaches the position of Fig. 2 to land the assembly, the packer 15 secured to the conductor 17 is free to move downwardly relative to the expander 16. In view of the substantial weight of portions of the assembly 12 connected above the packer 15, and to be described hereinafter, the packer movesv downwardly into expanded position merely upon lowering of the assembly on a relatively ilexible running string, and without the necessity for imposing a force thereon through a rigid string.

As shown in Fig. 2, the packer 15 is elongate and has a conical cavity 25 extending thereinto from the lower Patented May 5, 1959v` end thereof, and the expander 16 comprises a similarly conically shaped and elongate body having its apex er'- tendable upwardly into the cavity 25 of the packer. Thus, as the packer moves downwardly over the conical expander, it is expanded over substantially its entire length into sealing engagement with the well casing. This substantial length of sealing surface between the packer and well casing is especially useful in sealing off perforations through the casing at levels within the well as well as packing off the tubular means adjacent a casing joint. It will be noted, in this respect, that the coupling 18 is provided with an annular ange 26 for conning the packer against upward ilow.

Due to the above-described downwardly extending arrangement of the lower ends or lips of the packer 15, when the packer 15 is first raised with respect to the expander 16 as the assembly is pulled from the well, the lips of the packer 15 will disengage from sealing engagement with the well casing so that they will not swab the well as the packer passes upwardly therethrough. Also, due to this novel arrangement, the lips of the packer are not hung up in the casing joints of the well. The outside diameter. of the packer 15, and especially the lips thereof, may be slightly less than the inside diameter of the casing prior to expansion into sealing engagement therewith to thus aid in not only pulling but also running the assembly.

It is contemplated that the expander 16 will be made of a material somewhat harder than the resilient material making up the packer 15. If desired, the expander may be made of metal or, if preferred, of rubber having a hardness greater than the resilient material of the packer. For example, the expander may be of D-duremeter rubber and the packer of 6() or 70-durometer rubber.

As shown in the enlarged view of Fig. 1B, a standing valve 27 may be removably threaded into a nipple 27a within the working barrel 14 and, as shown in the enlarged View of Fig. lA, a traveling valve 28 and a plunger 29 may be suspended upon a sucker rod 30 (see also Fig. 1) for reciprocation within the working barrel above the standing valve to pump well fluid upwardly through the working barrel and into the well casing, in a manner well known in the art. As previously mentioned, such an arrangement also permits these pumping parts to be run or pulled from the working barrel 14 without pulling the remainder of the assembly 12.

The tubular means 13 also includes a tubular member 31 at its upper end which is connectable above the working barrel 14 by means of one or more suitable ow conductors 32 and couplings 32a. These conductors are Useful in providing the assembly above the packer with suicient weight to expand same in a manner previously described. This tubular member 31 is provided with an annular ring 33 thereabout of rubber or the like for sealing engagement with the casing above the packer 15. In addition to serving several purposes which will be described hereinbelow, the seal ring 33 prevents the accumulation of sand and other debris within the well casing thereabove from fouling the packer 15. 'Ihe tubular member 31 is also provided with an enlarged inner diameter portion 34 at its upper end which tapers inwardly and downwardly along a surface 35 for guiding the removable pumping parts into a lower reduced diameter portion 36 beneath the tapered surface 35. This reduced portion of the member 31 has an inside diameter approximately that of the working barrel 14.

The outer sealing lip of the ring 33 is of slightly greater diameter than the inside diameter of the well casing 10, so that it is compressed into sealing engagement'with the casing asthe assembly is run into the well. Obviously, well iuid accumulating above' the ring'33 will further compress the lip into even tighter engagement.' with the casing. Oneror morek by-passports 37 are formed through the tubular member 31 to permit the assembly to be pulled from the well.

The seal ring 33 will be seen more particularly to have in inside surface 38 which tapers inwardly and downwardly from a rounded lip 33a at its upper end toward the opening through the tubular member 31. Thus, with the ring 33 arranged symmetrically of the tubular member, as shown, it serves both to center the tubular member as well as the pumping parts within the well casing and also to guide said pumping parts, as well as the running and pulling tool to be described hereinafter, into the enlarged inner diameter portion 34 of the tubular member. As previously described, from this enlarged portion of the tubular member, the pumping parts are further guided into the working barrel 14 of the assembly by means of the inwardly and downwardly tapered surface 35 and reduced portion 36 of the member.

For a purpose which will be understood from the description to follow, the upper end of the enlarged diameter portion 34 is provided with an inwardly extending annular flange or shoulder 39. As shown in this embodiment of thc invention, the ange 39 is formed on a tubular part 40 of the enlarged diameter portion of the tubular member, which part carries the sealing ring 33 at its upper end and is threadedly connected at its lower end to the remainder of the tubular member 31.

The novel running and pulling tool of the present invention comprises a body 41 including a head 42 and lower end 43 with side members 44 extending longitudinally therebetween to define an opening centrally of the body beneath the head. Latching dogs 45 are mounted on pins 46 extending between the side members 44 on opposite sides of the central opening for pivotal movement between a latching position in which one end of each dog is extended outwardly of the body and a releasing position in which one end is retracted toward said body.

More particularly, when the body 41 is landed within member 31 in a manner to be described, the upper end 47 of each dog 45 is swingable about the pins 46 between a latching position beneath the ange 39 of the member 31, as shown in Fig. 3, and a releasing position in which said upper end is retracted from beneath said flange as indicated in Fig. 4, to permit the body to be pulled from the well separately of the assembly.

As can be seen from the drawings, the body 41 of the tool is of a size to move freely through the opening in the upper end of the enlarged diameter portion 34 of the tubular member 31, and is provided with outwardly projecting shoulders 48 (Fig. 5) for engagement with the seal ring 33 so as to locate the body in landed position. In such position, the lower end 43 of the body is spaced above the tapered surface 35 of the tubular member and the upper ends 47 of the dogs are disposed opposite the ange 39 for movement between latched and releasing positions with respect thereto. The outer surface of the landing shoulder 48 preferably is tapered corresponding` to the inner surface 38 of the seal ring for engagement therewith along its entire length.

The dogs are urged into latching position by compression coil springs 49 disposed between the head 42 of the body and the upper ends of the dogs. Thus, as the body is run into the tubular member to latch the tool to the assembly, the upper ends of the dogs are forced inwardly against the springs as they engage the seal ring 33 at the upper end of the enlarged diameter portion 34 to permit said upper ends to pass beneath ange 39 and into latching position as the body reaches its landed position. Of course, when the assembly is to be run into the well, the tool may be manually moved into latched position.

In the latched position of the tool, the lower ends 50 of the dogs are disposed inwardly of the central opening of the body 41, as best shown in Fig. 3. For the pur-` pose of moving the dogs to areleasingposition,-whereby the tool may be removed from the well separately from the assembly, a rod 51 which suspends the body is pro-l vided with a part 52 within the central opening for engagement with said lower ends 50 of the dogs and is movable vertically with respect to the body upon loading thereof to move the dogs into released position. More particularly, the rod is freely received through an opening 53 in the head 42 so that, upon landing of the body it may be moved downwardly from the position of Fig. 3 to the position of Fig. 4. As the rod is so moved, the part 52 thereon spreads the tapered inside surfaces 50a on the lower ends 50 of the dogs to thereby retract the upper ends 47 thereof from latching position.

. As best shown in Figs. 3 and 4, a pair of nuts 55 are threaded onto a portion 55a of the rod to provide a shoulder upon which a ange 55b on the body may rest so as to suspend the body from the rod. More particularly, the ange extends between the side members 44lof the body a substantial distance above the head 42 thereof and is provided with an opening 56 therethrough to receive the rod for vertical movement with respect thereto. A coiled compiession spring 57 disposed between the head 42 and the nuts 55 urges the body downwardly with respect to the rod and the nuts into engagement with the ange 55h, as shown in Fig. 3, in which position the lower ends 50 of the dogs are disposed across the central opening of the body and the upper ends 47 of the dogs are urged by springs 49 into latching position. However, when the rod is lowered with respect to the body, in a manner to be described below and for the purpose of spreading the lower ends of the dogs, the spring 57 is compressed by the nuts 55, as shown in Fig. 4.

When the rod 51 is suspended on the wire line 54, as shown in each of Figs. 7 and 8, downward movement is imparted to the rod by means of a slidable supporting connection between the wire line and rod. Thus, the upper end of the rod is coupled as at 58 to an extension 59 which is, in turn, provided with an enlarged end 60 adapted to support the extension from a ange 61 of a sleeve 62 slidably received about the rod beneath the enlarged end. The upper end of the sleeve is attached in any suitable manner to the lower end of the wire line 54 so that, as the assembly is run into the well and the body of the tool lands within the tubular member 31 (see Eig. 7), continued pay out of the wire line will lower the supporting flange 61 beneath the enlarged end 60 of thel rod extension 56 into jarring engagement with a shoulder 63 on the coupling 58 to move the rod downwardly.

Due to the exible nature of the wire line 54, the rodmust be locked in its lowered position so that the dogs may be maintained in a releasing position to permit the tool to be pulled from the well separately from the assembly. For this purpose, the part 52 on the rod is provided with an upwardly facing annular shoulder 64 thereon adapted to move beneath the bottom surfaces of the lower ends 50 of the dogs in the lowered position of the rod. More particularly, the inner lower corners of the dogs are squared so as to intert with the shoulder, as shown in Fig. 4, when the dogs are spread to retracted position. The dogs and rod are locked in this position by the urging of springs 57 and 49, while over-travel of the rod is prevented by the lower end 43 of the body. As will be obvious from Fig. 4, upon removal of the tool from the well, the upper ends 47 of the dogs may be squeezed inwardly against the springs 49. to release the rod and dogs from locked position.

summarizing now the intended use of the overall apparatus ofths invention, the running and pulling tool is r'st latched. to the tubular member 31 at the upper end of-the pump and packer assembly 12. At that time, of course, the working barrel is free of the pump parts, and therod 51 of the tool occupies its uppermost position relative to body of the tool so that the dogs are urged into the latching position. i

At this time, the assembly is run into the well upon the wire line 54 which suspends the body 41 of the tool. While the assembly is thus being lowered to its landed position within the well, the expander 16 is supported in its lowermost position by means of enlarged part 20 so that the packer 15 is unexpanded. When the landing nipple 23 comes to rest on the bottom of thel well so as to prevent further downward movement of the expander, the packer continues to move downwardly with the tubular means 13 of the assembly. Due to the weight of the assembly above-the packer, this continued lowering of the running and pulling tool is sufficient to cause the packer to move downwardly over the expander 16 and into seal-A ing engagement with the well casing 10 above the production zone 11. y

With the packer expanded, the tubular member `31 is supported against further downward movement so that continued paying out of the wire line 54 is operative to release the tool from latched position. That is, lowering of the wireline permits jarring down on the rod 51 of the tool so that part 52 thereon moves the upper ends of the dogs from beneath latched position. This movement of the `rod also locks the dogs in released position, as shown in Fig. 4, so that the tool may be pulled from the well separately from'the assembly.

The packer 15 4and seal ring 33 of the tubular member serve to center thel assembly within the well so that the standing valve 27 and traveling valve 28 and plunger 29jmay be run into the working barrel 14 of the assembly, the latter parts being run on the sucker rod 30. During such running, these pumping parts are lguided into the working barrel by the tapered inner surface 38 on the seal ring 33 of the tubular member as well as by tapered surface 35 leading into the reduced portion of such member. At this time, the sucker rod may be reciprocated by suitable means so as to pump well fluid from the production zone 11 upwardly through ports 24, landing nipple 23, tubular means 13, the tubular member 31, and into the well casing above the ring 33.

Obviously, the pumping parts may be pulled from the.

well at any time without pulling the assembly. When it isdesired vto pull .the assembly, however, at least thev traveling valve and plunger are pulled and the dogs 45 of the running and pulling tool are released to their latching position and the tool then run into the well on the wire line 54, the tool body being guided into the tubular member 31 by means of the seal ring 33. As the shoulders 48 on the tool body engage the seal ring 33 so as to land the body, the upper ends 47 of the dogs are forced into latching position beneath the flange 39 of the tubular member.

At this time, the wire line 54 may be taken up so as to pull the assembly from the well. During the rst stage of such pulling, the packer 15 is raised above the expander and out of sealing engagement with the well casing, and the enlarged part 20 on the lower end of flow conductor 17 lifts the landing nipple 23 from the bottom of the well. As the packer is moved upwardly through the well, its downwardly extending lips prevent swabbing- As previously mentioned, the running and pulling tool of this invention is also adapted for operation by means of a sucker rod or vother relatively rigid member.

may be adapted to provide a threaded force-transmitting connection between the rod and body.

For this purpose, an adapter plate 66 having` an ope -,Y

Thus, as shown inwFig. 5, with the upper end of the rod 51v threadedly connected to a sucker rod 65, the portion 55ay of the rod received through opening 56 in the flange 55h.-

ing 67 (-Fig. 6) therethrough may be passed -over the rod 51 and secured, as by bolts68,to the upper side of the flange 55b. This 'openin-g167 through the-plate is polyhedral in shape so as to receive a nut 69 of similar shape and size threaded onto -the portion 55a of the rod. With these modications, and with the shoulders 48 forced by the sucker rod-6S`tightly against the seal ring 38 so `as to land the-tool body withinthe tubular member 31, and prevent relative rotation therebetween, rotation ofthe sucker rod 65 will act as a jack screw to move the rod 51 and part 52 downwardly to the dog releasing position of Fig. 4.

With certain obvious modifications, the sucker rodoperated tool may also be used with the 4apparatus of this invention in a manner previously described in connection with thewire line-operated tool.

From the foregoing it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all of the ends and objects hereinabove set forth, together with other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent to the apparatus.

It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the invention without departing fronrthe scope thereof, -it is to be understood that all matter herein lset forth'or shown in the accompanying drawings is to' be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting'sense.

The invention having been described, What-is claimediis:

1. -A tool yfor running and pulling equipment within a well, comprising a body having an opening therein, dogs mounted on said body for pivotal lmovement between a latching position-in which one end of each do'g is extended outwardly of the body anda releasing position in which said one end is retracted toward said body, said other end of each dog being disposed inwardly within said opening in the latching position thereof, spring means arranged between the `body anddogs vfor urging the dogs toward one of said latching and releasing positions, a rod vertically slidably'received in said body above said opening and having a lowerend engageable with the other ends of said `dogs to move the dogs to said releasing position upon movement of the rod downwardly relative to the body, stop parts carried respectively by the body and rod and engageable to limit movef ment of the rod in an upward direction relative to said body whereby the rod can support the body in a well, and spring means normally urging said rod in-said upward direction relative to the body.

2. A'tool of the character denedin claim l,tincluding adapter means effective to provide a threaded force transmitting connection between said rod and body.

3. A tool of the character defined in claim l, including a nut threadable over a threaded portion of the rod, and an adapter plate securable to said body and having an opening therethrough to receive `said nut in -a manner to prevent its rotation relative to the body.

l4. A tool of the character defined in claim 1, wherein said rod and said other ends of the dogs are provided with interengageable partsvoperable, upon movement of said dogs into said releasing position, to lock the dogs insaid releasing position thereof as the-toolis pulled.

5. yWell apparatus, comprising a tubular member for suspending equipment within a well, -an -inwardly eX- tending flange on the tubular member defining an opening through the vupper end thereof, a ring of resilient material `disposed annularly about said tubular member, and a tool for runningand pullingsaid tubular member, said tool including abody having an fopening therein and `a shoulder projecting outwardly 'therefrom for seating upon said annular ring toland the :body-within the opening of said tubular member, =dogskmountedon#said bo'dyffor l pivotal movement between a -latehe'd" position 8 s in which one end Vof each dog is extended outwardly "of the Vbody for latching beneath the flange-ofthe"tubular member, when the body is landed within ithe `opening thereof, and a releasing position in which said one "entfY is Hretracted from beneath said flange topermit removal of the body from the well separately from said-tubular member, the other ends of said dogs being disposed'inwardly within said opening when the dogs are in latched position, spring means between the body an'd dogs yfor' urging the dogs toward one of said latched and releasing positions, a rod, a connection between the `rod and the' body permitting limited vertical movement of `the rod relative to the body, said rod having a part within openingengageable with said other ends ofthe dogs for moving the dogs to said releasing positionthereof re-f sponsive'to vmovement ofthe rod in Jone vertical 'direc-f tion relative to the body.

6. Well apparatus of the character Vdefined in claim 5; wherein said annular ring is carried about theupperen'df of the tubular member and includes a lip rabout its `outer' periphery for sealing engagement with the well,the inner' surface of said ring being tapered inwardly and ldownwardly from said lip and toward vthe opening through the upper end of the tubular member.

7. Well apparatus, comprising a tubular member for suspending equipment within a well, aninwardly"extend-l ing flange on thetubular member defining lan opening through the upper end thereof, and a tool'for running and pulling said tubular member, said toolincludinga bodyhaving an opening therein and being seatable upon said tubular member for landing within the opening there' through, dogs mounted on said body for `pivotal /movef ment between a latching position in which `one Yend zo'f each Vdog is lextended outwardly of thebody for latching beneath the flange ofthe tubular member, when the lbody is landed within the opening thereof, 'and a releasing position in which said one end is retracted from Vbeneath said ange to permit removal of the ybody frornthewelly separately from said tubular member, rsaid otherend 0f" each dog being disposed inwardly within said opening when the dogs are in latched position, spring'meansbe-V tween the body and the dogs for urging the-dogstoward one'of said latched and releasing positions, a^rod, 'a-con? nection between the rod and body permitting'limited vertical movement of the rod relative to the rbody, 1the lowerend of the rod being engageable with the-other'fen'ds of said dogs to move the dogs into saidreleasing yposition upon movement of the rod in onevertical-direction relativeto the body, and spring meansnormally-urgingy said rod in an opposite vertical direction relative-to body.

8. Well apparatus of the character defined inclaim 7,` including adapter means effective vto provide a threaded' force-transmitting connection betweensaid rod and body.

9. Well apparatus of the character defined `in claim'7,` including a nut threadable over a threaded portion 'of' the rod, and an adapter plate securable to said'body'and= having an opening therethrough to receive'said nutrin a manner'to preventits rotation relative to the body.

10. lWell apparatus of the character defined in yclaim f7,` wherein said rod and said other ends of `the `dogs .inner provided with interengageable parts operable, upon'movw mentof said dogs into the `other position,fto lock1said dcfs.

and rod in said otherposition as the tool is pulled.

References Cited in therle of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,374,834 Dooley Apr. 12 19,21 1,535,141 `Wade Apr. 28, 1925 1,721,003 Davison July 16, 1929, 1,839,310 Hatcher Ian. 5, 1932 2,111,176 vCox Mar. 15,1938 2,210,815 Linney Allg. '6, v1960 E251,197,044 Barker Sept. 29, 1942 

